Overlooked Gems

Overlooked Gems: Interiors

MikeDawson — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 09:08:03 -0700

Coming directly between the two recognised highpoints of Woody Allen’s career, Annie Hall and Manhattan, Interiors is perhaps the starkest departure in both form and content that a director has made directly following his most successful outing. Annie Hall, which won four Academy Awards including two for Allen himself, best director and best original screenplay; was a huge success for Woody Allen and is still today his most acclaimed and discussed picture. It is a stridently funny romantic comedy that flirts with the conventions of cinema.

Overlooked Gems: The Mosquito Coast

MikeDawson — Wed, 02 Nov 2011 04:20:13 -0700

Peter Weir is something of a directorial oddity. For most of us, we recognise the great men and women behind the camera because of their signature style or repeated themes. Would Ingmar Bergman be as well known today if he had not so tirelessly dedicated himself to themes of infidelity and faith? Would Andrei Tarkovsky be hailed as a master if he’d not incorporated those majestic images so meticulously into all but one of his films? Kubrick’s perfectionism, Angelopoulos’ wide shots, Haneke’s static unfoldings, Bier’s confrontational camera, Malick’s montages etc.

Overlooked Gem: Galaxy Quest

MikeDawson — Wed, 10 Aug 2011 02:57:13 -0700

In the history of television perhaps no other programme leaves itself so open to ridicule and parody as Star Trek. The immense success and cultural impact of the programme makes it well known to most individuals; who hasn’t heard the oft mis-quoted “Beam me up Scotty”, the starship Enterprise, “to boldly go where no man has gone before”, or that chap with the pointy ears?

Overlooked Gems: City Hall

MikeDawson — Wed, 01 Jun 2011 02:37:35 -0700

There are of course any number of films released in any given year that disappear without a trace, and there are, indeed, any number of reasons why said films go unnoticed by the majority of the cinema-going community. But perhaps the most perplexing type of vanishing movie is the one with everything going for it.

Overlooked Gems: City Hall - Podcast

Left_Field_Cinema — Tue, 31 May 2011 23:30:24 -0700

Harold Becker's conspiracy thriller City Hall (1996) could have been one of the most popular thrillers of the 1990s thanks to its impressive script and excellent performances - but instead it faded into relative obscurity. This episode examines both the film and its failure to capture to a wider audience.

Written and presented by Mike Dawson.

Overlooked Gem: Birth

MikeDawson — Wed, 16 Feb 2011 02:25:02 -0700

Of all the British film institutions: the Carry On Movies, Hammer Horror, Ealing Comedies, Classic Period or Kitchen Sink Dramas, even Richard Curtis films; one stands above the rest as the most tedious, repetitive, reductive and downright irritating - the British gangster movie.

Overlooked Gem: Birth - Podcast

Left_Field_Cinema — Tue, 15 Feb 2011 23:59:08 -0700

Jonathan Glazer's follow up to Birth (2004) is a fascinating drama in the vain of Rosemary's Baby, The Shining and other paedophobic horror films. Featuring a stand-out performance from Nicole Kidman.

Written and presented by Mike Dawson.

Overlooked Gem: The Claim

MikeDawson — Wed, 17 Nov 2010 06:52:49 -0700

The Director: Michael Winterbottom is a chameleonic director; rarely has there been a filmmaker with such a diverse portfolio with the possible exception of Hirokazu Koreeda.

Overlooked Gem: The Claim - Podcast

Left_Field_Cinema — Tue, 16 Nov 2010 23:44:07 -0700

The Claim (2000) Michael Winterbottom's hidden gem is the best Western of the last decade with a tour-de-force central performance from Peter Mullan. This episode featuring a look back at the career of the director.

Written and presented by Mike Dawson. Additions written by Wilson McLachlan.

Overlooked Gem: Julia

Left_Field_Cinema — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 04:47:48 -0700

French director Erick Zonca wanted to make a film which would begin as a portrait of a woman then slowly change gears and become a thriller about kidnapping and violence. Zonca has completely succeeded as his 2008 film Julia is a particularly impressive character piece which organically develops into something rather more generic in its second half.